


A COVID New Years

by Lil_leels



Series: Rizzles in COVID Quarantine [3]
Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: F/F, Slow Burn, covid fanfic, its the series i never meant to write, the muses are giant teases
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:54:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28474263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lil_leels/pseuds/Lil_leels
Summary: Maura is tentatively hopeful for the New Year, even if she will miss celebrating it Rizzoli style. At least Jane is there. Jane is her favorite Rizzoli, after all.
Relationships: Maura Isles/Jane Rizzoli
Series: Rizzles in COVID Quarantine [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2073420
Comments: 33
Kudos: 64





	A COVID New Years

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Years from the West Coast (ish). Celebrate responsibly so Jane doesn't have to arrest you for maskless, drunkenness, or any other stupid stuff. Stay at home and blow your kazoos!

Maura was ending the year on a high note. High, of course, being relative to the low she had felt for a vast majority of the year. Multiple vaccines were being produced and distributed around the world. Maura was slotted to receive her own vaccine in the first days of January. Jane, Frankie, Nina and the other officers would receive theirs shortly thereafter as part of the first responders group. For the first time in nearly six months Maura could see the end of this pandemic. It was so close. Almost touchable. If they could convince people to stay home for the holidays, if they could contain the newest London strain, if they could get people to get vaccinated. It was a lot of ifs. And some of them seemed more likely than others. But it was a _possibility._ Which was why Maura found herself looking forward to New Years in spite of everything. Even if New Years this year was different this year. No Rizzoli family party. No no poppers, none of those obnoxious kazoos that mysteriously appeared just before midnight, no Italian shouts of exclamation as the ball dropped, no midnight kisses. Not that Maura had had a midnight kiss in years. She missed Rizzoli Holidays. She missed the Rizzoli’s. At least she still had Jane. Jane was her favourite Rizzoli after all.

‘Jane?’ Maura called as she let herself into the house on New Years Eve, a load of groceries she’d picked up via contactless delivery on her arm, ‘I am home!’

‘Hey Maur,’ Jane called. It was followed by the patter of socked feet, a heavy thud and a muttered gravelled curse. Jane appeared at the end of the hall, rubbing her elbow.

‘Did you hit your ulnar nerve sliding in your socks again?’ Maura asks as she takes in Jane’s appearance. The woman was dressed for a night in. She wore boy shorts, a sox t-shirt with three quarter length sleeves, plain socks and her hair was pulled up in a messy bun. It was one of Maura’s favourite Jane looks. She made it work for her. She made the casual look effortlessly sexy. It made Maura envious. Maura, dressed casually, just looked frumpy. Plus, before Jane had moved in, casual Jane also meant Jane was staying. Maura was probably conditioned to respond positively to the outfit by that fact alone.

‘If by Uma Nervosa, you mean my funny bone then yes,’ Jane rubs at her elbow a moment more before swooping in to relieve Maura of her burden. ‘Thanks for grabbing these!’

Maura wrinkles her nose, ‘its really an unfortunate misnomer. Aside from it not being a bone at all, I have yet to find a person who finds the resulting sensations from hitting that nerve enjoyable, much less amusing.’

‘It’s not named because it's funny when you hit your own funny bone. It’s named because it’s hilarious when someone else hits _their_ funny bone.’ Jane flashed Maura a bright dimpled smile and Maura can’t help but to smile back.

Belatedly, Maura remembers she was trying to make a point. Maura washes her hands as Jane begins putting the dishes away. ‘How do you do that to me?’ Maura asks, looking over her shoulder to Jane.

‘Do what?’ Jane asks, sorting the groceries with practiced ease.

‘Distract me? I was making a point,’ Maura says pouting at her sudsing hands.

‘It’s because I’m charming,’ Jane says, moving around Maura toward the fridge. As she does, she bumps her hip lightly into Maura’s. ‘Plus, you like me.’

‘I suppose I do,’ Maura says in an over exaggerated pained tone.

‘Hey!’ Jane says in mock offence.

Maura chuckles and throws the hand towel at Jane’s face. It’s aim is true and it lands directly on her face. The image of Jane sputtering and shaking the towel off, makes Maura double over in laughter. Jane glares at her before the facade cracks and her own laughter fills the kitchen.

Maura takes over making dinner with Jane chopping and snacking as they talk. ‘So,’ Jane asks, ‘any last things you want to accomplish in 2020? We still have a few hours to make it happen?’

Jane’s tone is teasing but her smile is real. Maura can see it in the glimmer of her amber eyes. ‘Mmmm,’ Maura says thoughtfully, ‘can I think about it?’

‘Sure,’ Jane says with an easy roll of her shoulders.

‘How about you?’ Maura asks her companion. Jane’s grin goes from soft to wicked in an instant and Maura can already tell that she was set up. ‘What did you do?’

Jane’s smile is absolutely predatory. ‘Well,’ Jane begins, ‘I know how much you were going to miss our big Rizzoli celebration. So I ordered something special for us.’ Jane rinses her hands and then pulls out a brown paper bag. From it she pulls a couple of 2021 hats, some poppers and those horrid kazoos. Maura eyes the noisemakers skeptically. ‘Obviously,’ Jane says backtracking quickly, ‘we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I just thought it would maybe add some…’ Jane’s voice falters out.

‘Revelry?’ Maura asks, raising an eyebrow. Jane nods blushing. Maura plucks the kazoos out of the group, ‘everything else can stay.’

‘Not a fan of the kazoo?’ Jane asks eyebrows raised.

‘Plastic polymer kazoos that buzz at annoying sound intervals?’ Maura says loftily, throwing the kazoos in the garbage, ‘no.’

‘But the poppers and the hats can stay?’ Jane asks, her face alight with child-like hope. Maura nods and Jane bounces giddily on her toes. ‘We’re gonna ring in 2021 Rizzoli style!’

‘So, loudly?’ Maura asks teasingly.

‘Very,’ Jane emphasises with a grin. ‘So did you think of anything.’

Maura frowns, biting her lower lip. ‘Well, maybe, but I am not sure.’

’Well,’ Jane says expectantly, ‘are you gonna tell me or do I have to guess?’ When Maura hesitates a moment longer Jane actually begins guessing. ‘You want me to go out and arrest everyone I find not wearing a mask?’ Jane wiggles her eyebrows making Maura laugh but she does manage to shake her head. ‘Okay, you want to fund a smear campaign against McConnell and rebrand the turtle image for all of turtle kind?’ Maura snorts but shakes her head. ‘Okay you want to cure COVID?’ Jane asks this guess sounding more authentic than the others.

‘No,’ Maura says with a smile, ‘well, yes, obviously, but that was not what I was thinking.’

‘Okay,’ Jane says, ‘so?’

‘When was the last time you had a New Years kiss?’ Maura asks.

‘Uh…’ Jane says her face freezing, ‘I dunno. Years? Frost and I shared a drunken peck one year. Not really a kiss, kiss.’

‘That’s what I want for this year,’ Maura says wistfully.

‘You want to go out to find a guy, take off both of your masks and risk infection for a kiss?’ Jane asks, sounding incredulous.

‘Of course not,’ Maura says, her cheeks already tingling. ‘I would never kiss a complete stranger. I meant… well… never mind.’

‘What?’ Jane asks, her curiosity getting the better of her, ‘like Tommy or something?’

Maura shakes her head adamantly, focusing on her hands as they stirred the sauce she was making. ‘Forget it Jane. It is not important.’

‘So there is someone you were thinking of specifically?’ Jane declares loudly. It isn’t exactly giddy but it felt like Jane wanted Maura to think it was giddy. ‘Is it someone from work? Do I know them?’

‘Jane,’ Maura says patiently, wishing her friend would move on. It had been a silly suggestion.

‘I do, don’t I?’ Jane says, ‘Is it Kent?’ Maura glares at Jane for that suggestion? ‘No. Okay Peters. I thought he was kind of cute.’

‘Jane,’ Maura says again.

‘Boba? He’s good looking.’ Jane continues ignoring Maura. Maura sighs and shakes her head. ‘Not Boba? Okay from the clinic then? Another Doctor?’

‘Jane,’ Maura says, laying a hand on the other woman’s forearm. ‘I was not thinking of a particular person. I was thinking of the experience. Of bringing in the New Year with a kiss. With joy and happiness. With someone I love and trust intimately.’

‘Oh,’ Jane says, ‘so this was less what I want and more a what if?’ There’s a frown on Jane’s face, a cloud in her eyes. ‘Like you wish you were part of some great romance.’

Maura laughs, ‘I am not sure about a great romance. Good sex would be nice but I meant more that emotional connection.’

‘Right,’ Jane says, thrusting her hair out of her face, ‘right. That makes sense. I mean, we all want love. Right? I’m just your best friend. Not. You know? Your lover.’ Jane’s face flushes and Maura can’t help but to feel she is missing something.

‘Correct. Although,’ Maura hesitates. ‘I wouldn’t mind having a midnight kiss with you Jane. I love and trust you.’ She smiles reassuringly at Jane.

‘Oh,’ Jane says. Moments seem to tick by without further response. ‘Oh,’ Jane repeats again. Maura can see Jane reworking their entire conversation. ‘Were you asking me to kiss you at midnight all along?’

Maura smiles, ‘no. I was telling you how I wanted to end this year and begin the next.’

‘You’re being coy,’ Jane accuses teasingly.

‘I just would not want to make you uncomfortable,’ Maura offers blandly. ‘I know intimate expressions of affection are more personal for you than me.’

Jane wrinkles her nose, ‘it’s just a kiss. I can do a kiss.’

‘So you will kiss me at midnight then?’ Maura asks, careful to keep her tone neutral with only the barest hint of a challenge in it.

‘Of course,’ Jane says, calling Maura’s challenge, ‘what’s a kiss between friends?’

Maura smiles and moves on, finishing their dinner with a smile on her lips. Maybe, the end of 2020 would be something to remember after all.

* * *

Jane curses herself as she takes another swig of wine. She had to take Maura’s bait. Had to promise her a kiss. Jane was getting nervous. She’d kissed people before. Maybe not as many as Maura but she was proficient. Or, at least, familiar with the concept. It wasn’t the lip lock that had her nervous. It was who the lip lock was with that had her fidgeting while time zoomed by. Jane grinned at herself. Time zooming was definitely a pun for 2020.

Jane had fidgeted through dinner, more pushing the delicious meal around on her plate than eating it. She nodded as Maura told her about her day and tried to still her fingers under the table. If Maura could tell Jane was nervous, she didn’t let Jane know it.

After they’d done the dishes, they settled on the couch to watch the New Years show. Maura straightens the 2021 hat on Jane’s head, giggling as she was well past tipsy. Jane chuckles and lifts an arm for Maura to snuggle into. Her friend takes it, burrowing under Jane’s arm and throwing a blanket over both of their legs. Jane turns on the TV and they watch together as the network parades celebrities in front of green screens over the channel. Jane is grateful. She’s fairly certain shots of crowds gathered at Times Square would cause Maura panic attacks. The celebrities pretending to be excited about the New Year while sitting in front of some poorly animated graphics of New York might be boring but at least it wouldn’t upset the Doctor beside her. Jane simply does her best to contain her jitters while they snuggle, knowing the doctor would sense every movement. Heat radiated from every point of contact between their bodies. Exquisite torture, Jane decided.

Maura, who was several wine glasses in, and severely overtired from working double shifts at the clinic and the M.E. 's office, passes out on Jane’s shoulder. Little dribbles of drool soaked Jane’s shoulder but she didn’t mind. Not when it meant that Maura was sleeping peacefully. Jane could always change her shirt later. Jane turns the television down, practicing her lip reading more than anything else. Time passes in a fog, Jane is almost certain she’s fallen asleep when a loud buzzer startles her awake. The ball had dropped. Jane hits the power button. She sighs quietly, settling more comfortably into her place on the couch, her arms clutching Maura tightly. Jane shifts her head slightly, pressing a soft kiss to Maura’s head.

‘Happy New Year Maura,’ Jane whispers sleepily, ‘hopefully this one is better for us.’ Then Jane closes her eyes and lets herself drift off into the New Year.

**Author's Note:**

> I promise they will kiss eventually. I dunno when but its gonna happen. Please allow the yelling to commence.


End file.
